No compromise on merit, transparency, says Governor Sarwar

LAHORE: Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar has said that corruption weakened national institutions and destroyed the country’s economy. Corrupt people are the enemy of the nation. The government will not compromise on merit and transparency.

He was talking to the media at the inaugural ceremony of the Telemedicine helpline at Sahiwal Medical College and Pana Gah at the District Headquarters Hospital on Thursday. Provincial Minister for Zakat and Ushr, Rai Hassan Nawaz, Akhuwat Foundation Chairman Dr Amjad Saqib, University of Health Sciences Vice-Chancellor, Prof Dr Javed Akram and other district administration officials were present on the occasion.

Punjab Governor while talking on the occasion said that in the past, institutions were destroyed due to political interference and corruption but the incumbent government believed in merit and transparency. The government was committed to rid Pakistan of the scourge of corruption and to ensure a system of punishment and reward in the country. Chaudhry Sarwar said that the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan had distributed Rs177 billion during the pandemic among poor families without any discrimination. He said that Sehat Insaf Card was a historic project of the government through which any poor person could spend more than Rs700,000 on his treatment.

The governor said that the people had given a five-year mandate to the government and the government was not intimidated by any sit-in and long march. He said that general elections would be held in 2023 and the opposition should also wait for general elections instead of doing politics of protest and spreading anarchy. Ch Sarwar said that as the chancellor of the universities, he had appointed more than 15 vice-chancellors purely on merit.

The vice-chancellors have also been directed to make all appointments in the universities on merit, he added. The government is working to strengthen the education system in Punjab and providing facilities as per international standards.

Talking to the party workers at Circuit House, the governor said that the PTI workers were the greatest strength of the party. We will not only give them their due status, but also solve the problems of the people as well as party workers on a priority basis, he concluded.